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Just a month into 2012, now is the time when many good intentions and nutritional plans fall by the wayside. But instead of throwing in the towel, this first challenge can be a valuable opportunity to set goals to help us chip away at old habits that can throw us off track. With new research out showing that the way you compose your breakfast can have an important impact on the ability to control your weight, combined with existing evidence of breakfast's nutritional punch and role in improving mental performance, now is a good time to take stock of your morning meal.

Just eat it

You've probably heard the adage that advocates "breakfast is the most important meal of the day." But what's the basis for this age-old wisdom? Based on both population research and intervention studies, there are several good reasons to eat something — arguably anything — to start your day. In general, breakfast eaters:

• are less likely to be overweight or obese than those who skip.

• are typically better able to meet their daily nutrient needs than those who don’t eat in the morning.

• perform better on cognitive tests at work and school than their hungrier counterparts.

• tend to have higher grades and better test scores in both childhood and adolescence.

In other words, having some sort of meal in the morning seems to improve your body’s ability to function, and your brain’s ability to think.

Quest for the best breakfast

So, if we know eating breakfast is good for us, what should it be? New research suggests eating protein and carbohydrates together at breakfast can help support long-term weight control, at least compared with a high-protein, low-carb breakfast. In the study, published online in the December issue of the journal Steroids, 193 obese, non-diabetic adults were given either a high-protein, low-carb breakfast, or a mixed protein-carb breakfast as part of a weight-loss diet. After 16 weeks on the diet, weight loss was similar: the low-carb breakfast eaters lost 15.1 kg vs. 13.5 kg for the mixed breakfast group, but the result did not reach statistical significance, which means the outcome may have been due to chance. After a further 16 weeks, however, the low-carb breakfast eaters regained 11.6 kg, while the mixed breakfast group lost a further 6.9 kg. Part of the reason for the more successful weight control in the mixed breakfast group could be attributed to appetite: They experienced lower levels of ghrelin, the appetite-stimulating hormone, after breakfast, and reported higher satiety and lower craving, compared with their low-carb counterparts.

While the results of this study suggest that balancing protein and carbohydrates at breakfast might be useful for appetite and weight control, the same should not be said about a carb-only breakfast. When protein is taken out of the picture — as would be the case with breakfasts focused on plain bagels, toast, muffins, waffles, pancakes and granola bars — blood-sugar fluctuations caused by the rapid breakdown of carbohydrates trigger feelings of hunger, as well as more cravings for sweets and carb-rich foods. The key, then, is to strike a balance.

Five easy morning meals

Still feel like breakfast is too much to manage on a busy morning? Here are some ideas (protein sources are bolded).

• A hard-boiled egg (or two; make them ahead), a whole wheat English muffin and a piece of fruit.

• A banana, apple or other fruit with 1-2 tbsp. of peanut or almond butter.

• Oatmeal made with milk or soy beverage, topped with fresh, frozen or dried fruit and a sprinkling of almonds or walnuts, (make from scratch, or buy from Starbucks, Tim Hortons, etc.).

• A smoothie made with milk or soy beverage, fresh or frozen fruit, and a splash of juice. You can add more protein with 3/4-1 scoop of protein powder or some Greek yogurt.

• Cottage cheese (individual containers or a tub) with blueberries and a slice of whole grain or rye toast.

Jennifer Sygo is a registered dietitian at Cleveland Clinic Canada, which offers executive physicals, sports medicine and prevention and wellness counselling in Toronto.

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